- Rookie McCarty captures first PGA Tour title in Black Desert Championship
- Australia all-rounder Green ruled out of India Test series
- Seeing double in Nigeria's 'twins capital of the world'
- UK FM to attend EU foreign affairs talks for first time in 2 years
- Carter, Billups among 13 new Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- Ravens rip Commanders as Lions lose NFL sacks leader in win
- Hezbollah drone strike kills four, wounds dozens at Israeli base
- China says launches military drills around Taiwan
- Stewart leads Liberty past Lynx to level WNBA Finals
- England return to winning ways in Nations League, Austria thrash Norway
- UN chief says attacks on UNIFIL 'may constitute a war crime'
- Ravens outlast Commanders while Bucs batter Saints in NFL
- Dozens hurt in Israel as Hezbollah claims drone strike
- England deserve 'world class' coach: Carsley
- Burkina Faso win to become first qualifiers for 2025 AFCON
- AC Milan's Pulisic among five out for USA match in Mexico
- France's Amandine Henry retires from international football
- Centre-left set to win pro-Ukraine Lithuania's vote
- India's World Cup hopes in Pakistan hands after Australia defeat
- Zelensky says NKorea sending troops to Russian army
- England beat Finland to get back on track
- King and Lewis propel West Indies to T20 triumph over Sri Lanka
- Pre-Halloween 'Terrifier' lands atop North America box office
- 'I still plan to compete and play next season,' says Djokovic
- Harris, Trump seek advantage in knife-edge election battle
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record in Chicago
- Kamindu and Asalanka power Sri Lanka to 179 against West Indies
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record as Korir wins in Chicago
- Spain send injured Yamal home 'to prioritise player's health'
- In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Iraq walks fine line with pro-Iran factions to avoid war
- Race four abandoned after New Zealand breeze into 3-0 lead in America's Cup
- West Indies win toss, put Sri Lanka in to bat in first T20
- Sudan rescuers say air strike killed 23 in Khartoum market
- Netanyahu tells UN to move Lebanon peacekeepers out of 'harm's way'
- Bangladeshi Hindus defy attack worries to celebrate festival
- Kiwis three up in America's Cup as Ineos pay for time penalty
- In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Dominant England crush Scotland at Women's T20 World Cup
- Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
- Israel fights Hezbollah on the ground, pounds Lebanon from the air
- Sabalenka outlasts local hero Zheng to win third Wuhan Open title
- Bangladeshi Hindus shrug off attack worries to celebrate festival
- Former Pakistan captain Azam dropped for second England Test
- 'Opportunist' Dupont dazzles on Toulouse return
- Australia replace injured Vlaeminck with Graham at Women's T20 World Cup
- Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title
- Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales
- Israel hits Lebanon from the air and fights Hezbollah on the ground
- China's Yin has 'goosebumps' as she romps to LPGA win in Shanghai
Hot chocolate for the holidays: 'Wonka' tops N.America box office
Warner Bros.' fantasy musical "Wonka," boosted by the star power of Timothee Chalamet, enjoyed a sweet opening in North American theaters this weekend after an equally strong debut overseas, industry watchers reported Sunday.
The film took in an estimated $39 million in the United States and Canada for the Friday-through-Sunday period, according to Exhibitor Relations. That came on top of $112 million in tickets sold overseas, where the film opened a week earlier.
"This is an excellent opening," particularly since family-friendly films released in December tend to build through the holidays, said analyst David A. Gross. "Momentum is very good," he added.
The film is a prequel, with Chalamet as a younger version of Roald Dahl's famous chocolatier Willy Wonka, a character first played by Gene Wilder and then Johnny Depp.
"Wonka" also stars Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key, Sally Hawkins and, in his first appearance as an Oompa-Loompa, Hugh Grant.
Another prequel, Lionsgate's "Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," placed second for the weekend at $5.8 million, showing impressive staying power in its fifth week out.
Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler and Peter Dinklage star in the story about the 10th Hunger Games in the dystopian state of Panem.
In third place was animated fantasy "The Boy and the Heron," from Studio Ghibli, at $5.2 million. The Japanese film follows 11-year-old Mahito who, during World War II, meets and communes with a talking gray heron after his mother dies in a fire.
The coming-of-age story from celebrated Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki topped the North American box office last weekend, becoming the first original anime production to do so.
In fourth was another Japanese production, sci-fi action film "Godzilla Minus One," directed by Takashi Yamazaki and produced by Toho International, at $4.9 million.
And in fifth was Universal and DreamWorks' "Trolls Band Together" at $4 million in its fifth week out.
The coming week should be a big one for North American theaters, with "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" opening Friday and the new musical version of "The Color Purple" debuting on Christmas Day.
Rounding out the top 10 this weekend were:
"Wish" ($3.2 million)
"Christmas With the Chosen: Holy Night" ($3 million)
"Napoleon" ($2.2 million)
"Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce" ($2 million)
"Poor Things" ($1.3 million)
O.Norris--AMWN